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New Magnet Implanted in the Skull Defeats Deafness

Research in the field of medical technology is providing new solutions for complex medical problems. A revolutionary magnetic implant has shown a ray of hope to people who cannot benefit from traditional hearing aids.

Actor Billy Coughlin went deaf in one ear at the age of 17. Now, at age 22, a magnetic implant has restore his hearing.

The device is the new version of a BAHA – bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) Attract. Unlike the traditional implant in which a metal screw was embedded in the patient’s head, the BAHA Attract involve the insertion of small magnetic disc beneath the skin behind the ear.

How it works:

A titanium alloy peg is screwed into the skull behind the ear and this screw transmits sounds picked up by the receiver directly into the inner ear, bypassing the outer parts. The best part is when the receiver is not worn, the implant is completely invisible.

BAHA’s implants are suitable only for patients having problems with the outer and middle parts of the ear. But this implant does not work for people with hearing loss due to a problem in the inner ear.

Nidhi Goyal

Nidhi is a gold medalist Post Graduate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. You can also find Nidhi on Google+.